10+Things That Can Reduce The value of Yours and Your Neighbors Raleigh - Triangle NC Home

Below are some Fantastic Tips for Home Owners and for Home Sellers by fellow AR blogger William Johnson. This is such a valuable list which is why I'm re-blogging it and adding a couple things for our local Raleigh, Cary, Durham & Chapel Hill neighbors to be aware of.

+ Windows: One of the most common items I see on home inspections is broken window seals. It is very easy to know if you have a broken window seal. The easiest way is to look at it and if it appears to be blurry (as if you're looking through someone esle's prescription glasses) then you probably have a broken window seal. It would be a good idea to replace these prior to putting your home on the market or at least ordering the window as it may take time to come in.

+ Crawl Space: It is very important you keep your Crawl Space Dry and Moisture Free. If you have excess moisture in the crawl space, that can be a breeding ground for mold and termites. These are two common things the home inspector will check for during the inspection. How do you know if it is has low moisture? First, look in your crawl space periodically to insure there is no water intrusion and/or leaks. You'd be surprised at how many times a leak is found during the home inspection. The homeowners often don't even realize they have a leak. Make certain you have a vapor barrer on the ground which will help protect the wood members of the house. If the air feels humid or wet you can purchase a moisture reader. I've heard different numbers but, you want the moisture to be low as in below 16%.

I also mention neighbors. Some of these things can affect your neighbors home values as well as yours. I can tell you there are many times a Realtor will pull up to a beautiful home that's on the market for sale, only to have the buyer say they aren't interested because of how the neighbors yard looks. It affect the sale of the home and the value of the entire neighborhood when the neighbor's house looks terrible. That's a blog for another day.

Please make sure you read through Williams blog below:

10 Things That Can Reduce The Value Of Your Home in San Diego

These are things that homeowners allow to happen over time either because they don't realize the gradual deterioration or perhaps even budget constraints. Either way, the value lost is measurable and correcting is likely to require some financial planning.

1. Allowing your lawn to turn to weeds. Even if the weeds are green, eventually they will take over and the grass will struggle to survive. To reseed or replace a lawn is very costly and all the water used to feed the weeds was a waste of money and valuable resources that require conservation.

2. Not keeping up with the paint or the stucco finish on the home. When the paint or the stucco finsih starts to go, the home becomes dull and the curb appeal really suffers. If not taken care of, the weather will also start to affect the wood and trims and they will deteriorate and eventually need replaced. A good paint job with good preparations first, will save many thousands of dollars over the life of ownership.

3. Cracked sidewalks and driveway. Driveways and sidewalks are prone to cracking when either there is soils movement, settling or as is most often the case, the ground is too wet and when it dries, it shrinks. Over watering without proper drainage causes serious problems. Stop doing that!

4. The roof. This poor thing is often so neglected. Imagine if you had to stay in one position year after year through every bit of weather. The burning sun, the wet, the wind, the cold, eventually it suffers and begins to rebel. Not only does the appearance suffer but what's under the surface can dry out, shrink and ultimately lead to leaks. You can't always see the roof but if you need proof of this, go to the beach and find the older sun worshipers. Look at their faces. Proof enough?

5. On the inside of a home, clutter and dirt tend to destroy many surfaces. And most of the time, it is needless destruction. Kitchens and baths need to be updated usually about every 10 to 12 years. New surfaces and products and improved lighting keep the home looking great and functioning at it optimal.

6. Appliances that are out of date and not energy efficient get two strikes. Not only do they usually look bad, they also require more energy and money to operate. Deferred cleaning also allows the interior of dishwashers and stoves to deteriorate. Take a good look, it usually isn't pretty.

7. Interior painting. This is one area that would be easiest to address and sadly is usually the last thing to get any consideration. The reason is no one wants to remove the furniture or unsettle the living environment. Its like not wanting to take a bath just because you looked so great that day!

8. Flooring and carpets. These require professional cleaning now and then and when that doesn't happen, the accumulated dirt does it's thing and causes the carpet fibers and backing to break down. If you have hard surface flooring such as tile and wood, these as well need special attention now and then. Tile flooring depending on what it is, generally starts to look like the year it was installed ( dated). The grout seal wears off and soil and stains accumulate. Wood floors can last a lifetime if cared for properly but most often they are just taken for granted and allowed to wear. As the finish wears off, the wood surface can deteriorate requiring sanding and to be totally refinished. It is so much less expensive to care for them right in the first place. Would you walk on your wooden furniture with heels or boots? I seriously doubt it but over time even the strongest of floor finishes wears off and then the wood is totally vulnerable. If you have nice wooden floors, the pitter patter of socked or bare feet should be your own.

9. If your home has the old water valves at the sinks, toilet and washing machine that came with the house, you can count on a flood a lot sooner than any chance of you winning the lottery. These valves are not expensive and neither are the newer ball valves. Get them changed and breath easier.

10. All the little things on the Honey Do list. If you need a new hinge on a door, get it. If you need to put on a new dimmer, do it. Generally women notice first the things that are going wrong with the house. If the issues are being ignored, by the time they are repaired ( if that ever happens) a lot more damage has been done. Deferred maintenance in a home is the number one killer and trying to resuscitate one in distress ( not unlike the hospital bill) will be so much more expensive than taking care of it in the first place. Nothing lasts forever but the goal here is for the home to outlast the occupants.

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Hi Carla, That is a great addition to the list. Thank you so much for the reblog. The broken seals in windows is actually the builder trying to save money buying cheap windows. I spoke with Anderson Window and they told me their windows are guaranteed for life. With 53 windows in my home and the 3 largest ones in the Dining Room have broken seals, I have decided to just replace everything.
And I sure do agree about the crawl space. This critical and a lot of the effervescence is caused by too much water around the house.
Great additions!

Ed & Tracy, Frank & Dale, Thank you for checking out the list. There is a bit too much deferred maintenance.

William - That's interesting. We see a lot of palladium windows in dining rooms with broken seals. Good to hear Anderson has a lifetime warranty. I think our area tends to move a lot so people don't necessarily want to invest in the lifetime windows. Can you believe I've seen two homes this week with moisture/mold issues?